


Learning to love

by peachyujae



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cat Hybrids, Cat/Human Hybrids, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Titles, M/M, Might add more tags, Slow Burn, Yuta doesn't like to be touched, side JohnYong, they are all hybrids except Jaehyun and Jungwoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:53:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26976928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachyujae/pseuds/peachyujae
Summary: Yuta should be happy he is finally out of that house, that he is free. Except he is not, because that house is all he's ever known, and he wants to stay there. But it will all change when a certain someone takes him home and shows him he lived in a lie his entire life.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 16
Kudos: 111





	1. Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I’m back with another yujae/jaeyu fic. To be honest, I’m feeling kind of nervous for this one and I’m not really sure why. In fact, I had it ready for a week but I couldn’t come up with a good title (still can’t, I hate it). I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING. Anyway, I’m gonna leave this out here and we’ll see.
> 
> I know the following warning might seem too crazy. I promise it’s not that bad because most of it it’s not graphically described, but I’ll let you be the judge of it. Be careful if you are not cool with it or if reading that stuff makes you uncomfortable.
> 
> Also, this is the only chapter that’s kind of heavy. There will be slight mentions of violence here and there but nothing too bad (I think).
> 
> If you read and find I missed something, please let me know. I don’t want to upset anyone.
> 
> WARNING
> 
> This chapter contains mentions of rape, child abuse, child trafficking, death, child loss, abortion, violence, starvation and hemorrhagic stroke.
> 
> P.S Not like anyone cares but I’m listening to RESONANCE PT.1 and I fucking love it, I’m in love with 23 men, and NOTHING can ruin my day. Have you listened to it yet? What’s your favorite song? Mine is probably Faded in my last song. But Nectar makes me feel kind of… I better leave it here.
> 
> Okay, I’m out :] Be safe everyone!

Revolutionary, incredibly bizarre, creepy, disgusting, abomination, majestic, beautiful, adorable.

Those were the most common words people used to describe the firstborn hybrid.

It wasn’t easy for people to accept the new specie. It took a lot of years and millions of tests and studies to get them incorporated into society. Especially because citizens didn’t think they were apt to live among them. Nonetheless, hybrids had shown every single time they were more than capable. There wasn’t a single thing that proved otherwise. Of course, they had little differences here and there; they could hear things a human couldn’t, in some cases their palates were more delicate than others, their sense of smell was very sensitive and their sight was sharper. Other than that (and the obvious presence of cat ears and a tail), hybrids were not too different from humans.

Soon enough, hybrids started to populate the world. And as the years kept passing, they became more and more welcomed and comprehended and less scary.

Lots of hybrids had the luck of being born in a nice, loving family with opportunities such as going to school, college, and even getting the jobs they wanted. Some others, mostly at the beginning, were put up for adoption or abandoned by their parents as they felt ashamed, incapable of loving them. They felt rejection as they looked at their little babies and would see their ears twitching with every sound and emotion. Even if the baby was a spitting image of one of their parents, the pointy ears and tiny tail that soon would be covered in fur, made them disgusted. They just couldn't handle the judgmental stares. It didn’t fit in their heads they could be able to create something so unnatural.

While there were people that didn't mind hybrids and embraced them as their own kind, there were people that loathed them; they got sick at the thought of sharing DNA with those creatures, and considered them impure, an abomination. Those people didn't fear expressing their opinion or hide their dislike towards them.

Unfortunately, some only saw an opportunity to make money out of hybrids. They didn't care what you planned on doing with them, whether be slavery or just for the fun of having one at home, making a circus out of them. They wanted money, and it was impressive how much people were willing to pay to get their hands on a hybrid.

Twenty-four years ago, in Japan, Osaka, a very peculiar, out of the ordinary hybrid was born.

The married couple waited anxiously for their first baby to be born. Having a hybrid was not something they were expecting, or at least the husband didn’t because the wife had some stories she hid to protect herself. Either way, she didn’t think it was viable. Or maybe she was in denial and hoped/wanted to believe she wouldn’t because she didn’t know how her husband would react if they did.

She married a good man. She knew that. He never had any behavior that indicated he was against hybrids, on the contrary. But having a hybrid daughter or son was not the same. And like so many other women being abandoned by their husbands after finding out they would have a hybrid, she was scared it would happen to her too.

However, her heart exploded with happiness as her husband, all teary-eyed, smiled and rejoiced as the obstetrician showed them the tiny pointy ears on the screen.

"So, do you think he got it from my family or yours?" Mr. Nakamoto asked, running his thumb over the back of his wife's hand as they walked around the park.

"Mmm I’m sure it comes from my family’s side." Mrs. Nakamoto smiled sadly, remembering being just a kid and listening to her parents arguing. "Mom never wanted to tell me because at that time hybrids weren't welcomed yet, people feared them and they were seen as atrocities. But... I heard her and my dad discussing because she wanted more kids, and dad wanted too, except he was scared that they might be able to conceive a hybrid."

"Did they suspect they had hybrid DNA? Or they were just paranoid about it?”

"They certainly knew.” Mrs. Nakamoto nodded. She swallowed thickly. It was the first time she was going to open up about it. She had never told anyone. And she was full of doubts and insecurities. "I heard my mom talking about a dead brother who was a hybrid, and how her mom had run away to keep the baby safe. My grandfather was furious and went to find her, and once he did, he- he forced her to have an abortion. She didn’t want it, of course, but he threatened her saying he was going to kill her. He would have preferred to have a dead daughter than a hybrid grandchild." She chuckled humorlessly.

"What?" Mr. Nakamoto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. It was a big deal, and a huge weight to carry on her own. "Why have you never told me about it?"

"I just didn't think it was important for you," the woman whispered. She stopped walking and loosened her hold on his husband's hand, catching on the serious tone he had used. "I- I thought you wouldn't care." Tears started to burn in her eyes.

It wasn't necessary to look at his wife to know what she was thinking or how she was feeling. Mr. Nakamoto softly grabbed her hand again and led her towards a bench where he helped her sit comfortably, being completely careful with her growing belly as he kneeled in front of her.

Truthfully, Mr. Nakamoto didn't care if their children were hybrids or not, but he witnessed more than one husband going crazy with their wives when they found out the woman had hybrid DNA. The fear is understandable, and he needs to be as clear as possible with his wife.

"I don't care. I will love all our kids just the same, hybrids or not." The man smiled at his wife. "The only reason I wished you would have told me this, is because then you wouldn't have feared the thought of _will he still love me if we have a hybrid because of me? Will he make me do what my grandfather did?"_

"I'm sorry, I should have told you." Mrs. Nakamoto wiped her tears away.

"No. Baby, you know I don't mind." Mr. Nakamoto sat next to her on the bench. "I would never hurt you or our baby. I love you both so so much and I will always protect you." He said, placing one hand over his wife's belly while cradling her face with the other.

"Okay." She nodded, sighing as she leaned into the touch.

"Now stop crying, you are worrying him." Mr. Nakamoto said playfully, feeling the baby kicking the spot where his hand was.

She giggled and placed his hand over his husband's, looking at him lovingly. They were going to be fine. "You are going to be such a great dad. The best."

"I can't wait for him to be out. He will be the most loved baby on earth." Mr. Nakamoto beamed at his wife.

"Our Yuta." She whispered.

He was surprised to hear that name; they had discussed lots of names, but there wasn't one that felt right. So hearing her wife say that name with such confidence and love, and with a huge smile on her face, Mr. Nakamoto knew it was the perfect name.

"Our Yuta." Mr. Nakamoto repeated.

Aside morning sickness, the pregnancy overall was okay. That was why they didn’t understand the reason Yuta arrived earlier than expected. Mrs. Nakamoto didn’t drink or smoked, and she didn’t have any health problems. But sometimes it didn’t have an explanation, and there was no time to search for answers.

"Where is he?" Mrs. Nakamoto asked her husband. It had been almost an hour since she gave birth and she still hadn't seen or held her baby properly. She only got to hold him against her chest for a brief moment before they had to take care of him, and she couldn't wait to see his beautiful tiny ears coated with that distinctive fine light hair.

"Darling, he-" Mr. Nakamoto placed a hand over his mouth to stop himself from crying. Although, it was already late because he couldn't hold his tears from falling.

"Wh-what? He what?" Mrs. Nakamoto grabbed his husband's arm desperately, obviously something was wrong with their son. "Where is our baby?"

"H-he is d-dead."

A choked gasp left the woman's lips. It couldn't be true. "No! No, he can't be! N-no!"

"I'm s-sorry."

"No!" She tried to lift herself from the bed, but his husband stopped her immediately. "Let me go! Bring me my baby!"

The heartbreak she was feeling was nothing like she had ever felt before in her life. It was too much pain to take all at once.

Later on, they explained to the couple that given the fact their baby was premature; his lungs weren’t fully developed and couldn’t provide enough oxygen.

Mrs. Nakamoto was wheeled into the morgue inside the hospital where her baby was. It was time to say goodbye.

Mr. Nakamoto stopped and bent down to look at her face. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I need to." Her voice was raspy, and her throat hurt from yelling and crying.

"Let's say goodbye to our baby, then."

Once they were inside and the doctor told them he would leave them some time alone and got out, Mr. Nakamoto helped her wife to stand up. Her legs were all wobbly, and she felt weak, defeated. But she didn't care; she just wanted to see their baby. As soon as she landed her blurry eyes on the face of the baby, she broke down in cries, holding tightly onto his husband's arm, who was doing his best not to also break down. He needed to be strong for her wife.

"This-" Mrs. Nakamoto blinked the tears away and shook her head in confusion. "This is n-not our b-baby."

"I know it will take time to assimilate-"

"No, you don't get it." She turned to his husband. "He had light hair. His ears were covered in light hair." Her voice was trembling as she said those words. Her heart started beating faster and a tiny light of hope settled inside her as she thought perhaps they got confused and their baby was okay, waiting for them.

Mr. Nakamoto shook his head. "You know it's not possible. There are no light haired hybrids. Nowhere."

"Why don't you believe me?" Mrs. Nakamoto pouted. She was sure of what she saw.

"I just think you were overwhelmed by everything happening so fast. You spent hours there. Darling, I know you want it to be a nightmare. And I do too, trust me. Perhaps you saw it different because of the light; you told me yourself you barely saw him for less than a minute."

The woman sighed deeply before shutting her eyes tightly. Her husband was right; maybe the lights made her see his hair lighter, and the delivery was so exhausting that it was more than probable she got confused.

Mr. Nakamoto nodded at his husband and looked back at the baby. It hurt in a way that nothing ever did. And while she was in between the love of his life's arms, running the pads of her fingers over her baby's forehead and cheek, something inside her didn't feel right. But of course, how could anything feel right when she just lost her firstborn?  
Life from now on was going to be different. She felt a piece of herself being ripped away in the cruelest way, and she would never get it back. It would not be easy, but she felt like she needed to keep fighting. Life was going to reward them sooner or later.

-

Her heart was beating wildly inside her chest as she rocked the crying baby in her arms.

The man approached her slowly, his eyes trained on the newborn she was holding. It was the first time she was going to do something like this. She knew it was wrong, and she was sure one day she would have to pay the consequences of what she was going to do. But she was already in. There was nothing she could do to stop it, even if she wanted to. No one could help her.

Yui Sato wasn't a bad person. At least that was the way she thought of herself before this moment.

Sometimes circumstances of life make you do things you never thought you would, things you considered bad or shameful.

She studied hard to become a neonatal nurse. It was all she wanted in life since she was a little girl. Yui was patient and very loving. The parents of the babies knew they could leave their little ones in her hands and they would be fine, perfectly taken care of.

Her parents were good people; her father worked in construction, which paid enough money to feed a family of three, and her mother was a housewife. Obviously, they didn't belong to the top class society; they barely made it to the end of the month. But they were happy with what they got. They didn't ask for more because they had each other and that was enough.

However, things turned when Yui's father got hospitalized after having a hemorrhagic stroke and had to get surgery. Bill after bill started to pile up. The only money resource they had, came from Yui's work. In the beginning, she was able to pay every single one of them as she took extra shifts, but it soon became more difficult to stay up and focus on the babies that required extra attention. Plus, occupational therapy was expensive. They reduced the number of sessions, thinking it wouldn’t be too bad, but Yui could notice his father getting worse and worse without them. It was all too much.

That's when Yui broke down. They were decent people. What did they do to end up like that? Why was it always the good ones that had to suffer? Yui tried everything she could and even got entangled with some bad people, asking for loans. But loans didn't pay on its own.

"His name is Yuta. Can you please keep it that way?" Yui said, cradling the baby against her chest, wanting him to stop crying because it was driving her insane and she knew those cries would haunt her for as long as she was alive.

"Why should I?" The man rolled his eyes. He and her wife didn't care about names. He only wanted to take him home and make his wife happy.

"Look at him." Yui tugged the blanket a little, exposing Yuta's ears. "This is the lightest hair a hybrid has had and I'm not charging you more money because of it, even though I should. So you either keep his name or I take him to someone else who will." She didn’t have any guarantee that they would keep his name, but she hoped for it anyway. It was worth the try.

The man observed, amazed at the baby's ears. They were indeed light; white, almost. It was something no one had ever seen before. A name was just that, right? It was a good deal, so he nodded. "Yuta is fine by me." He stretched his arms, asking for the baby.

Yui pressed a kiss at the top of Yuta's head and whispered, "I'm so sorry." And with that, she handed the baby to the man, watching how he climbed into the private jet.

"You've done well, Yui," Mr. Hamada (owner of the jet and CEO of the hospital Yui worked at) said. "You will be out of debts, and your father will have the rehabilitation he deserves. The kid is going to be fine."

"But you don't know that." Yui snapped, furiously wiping her tears away.

"He told me her wife wants hybrids to raise because she is fascinated by them, that's all. In fact, they have another one already. And they can't have a child of their own. They are not going to hurt him."

Yui had to trust in his words. She needed to believe the baby was going to be okay. The deal was made and there was no turning back. "If- if someone finds out-"

"Who do you think I am, huh?" Mr. Hamada stepped close to Yui and grabbed her face, putting more pressure than necessary. "Do you think I'm some kind of amateur? Doll, I've been doing this for years. What do you think paid for this?" He asked, pointing behind him where the awaiting jet was.

Yui squirmed under Hamada's grip until she got away. "Don't touch me!"

Hamada chuckled; he fixed his suit and turned around, giving the pilot the signal for him to go.

Yui stood there, bracing herself as she saw the jet flying away. Hoping that the baby, Yuta, at least would be in good hands.

-

Yuta’s ears twitches as he hears the familiar footsteps getting closer and closer, and then the rattling of keys as Master opens the door. It has been a few days since Yuta has seen him, and he just hopes Master gives him food because he is hungry.

“Stand up,” Master says with a huff, which makes Yuta think he is in a pretty grim mood. And when Master is in a bad mood, he likes to take it out on him and use him as a punching bag. 

Yuta stands up as fast as he can. He stays with his head lowered, avoiding making any noise that could make the man angry. Good behavior always leads to a treat. Well, not always. But if he is lucky enough, Master will give him treats or a mediocre chicken soup that for Yuta tastes like heaven even if it’s just chicken and water.

The hybrid is confused when Master stands in front of him and takes some rope out of his pocket before starting to tie his wrists together.

“We’ll be going for a ride today.”

Yuta tilts his head to the side in surprise. They never go on rides. In fact, Yuta doesn’t remember being outside the house. He spends most of his time inside the four walls he calls ‘room’, which is actually a dark, and dirty basement with a toilet and a single bed. But Yuta doesn’t know that, and he loves his room.

Master always says he is lucky enough to even have a roof under his head because hybrids live on the street, without no one looking out for them. Master always says he should be grateful to him because _‘you don’t deserve to have nice things, you are worthless and an abomination to the world. If it wasn't for me, you would be dead by now.’_ And Yuta is grateful, he really is. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t like the things Master does to him, or that he wishes he could go outside and explore the world, meet other hybrids like him and have friends. Yuta is thankful that someone cares enough to have him living with him.

He whimpers softly as Master tightens the ropes around him, making his skin burn.

“Let’s go,” Master says, pulling Yuta along the stairs.

Yuta follows quietly, blinking and squinting his eyes as he tries to adjust to the bright light he hasn’t been exposed for weeks.

Master rarely brings him upstairs. Only when he wants Yuta to clean, or when he brings him into the bathroom to clean him and then to his room. Everything looks different up here. It’s somehow clean (thanks to Yuta), and colorful objects surround the place. Yuta would like to have something like that in his room, but Master doesn’t allow it anymore since Hansol (his brother who is now gone) tried to hurt Master with one of the objects. Master got so angry that he even took Yuta's pencils and the papers he used to draw. Hansol apologized over and over because he knew Yuta loved to draw and recreate the sceneries Hansol described for him. Yuta wasn't angry at him, he was okay just with the fact Master hadn't hurt them too badly.

Something catches Yuta’s attention. The new hybrid that had arrived a few weeks ago is sitting crossed legged on the blue sofa. He has a content smile on his face and looks at Yuta with superiority and disgust.

At first, when the hybrid came to visit him, Yuta was happy because he thought he was going to have another brother. Someone who he could speak with because he was feeling lonely without Hansol by his side. However, this hybrid is not what Yuta imagined he would be. The few times he came to see him at his room, he laughed and said mean things to him.

The positive side of having this new hybrid with them is that Master doesn’t come to see Yuta as frequently as he would. Yuta can hear the grunts and thumps against the wall every single night. He knows what it means, and he doesn’t understand why the hybrid acts so different from him and Hansol. He looks different, smells different, and sounds different too. When Hansol or Yuta would cry in pain and disgust, this hybrid seemed to enjoy it even.

Maybe not enjoying what Master does to him is Yuta’s mistake, and that is the reason he is not allowed to stay upstairs and have all the nice things like the pretty clothes the new hybrid is wearing or regular food instead of the old, cold leftovers.

Yuta considered Hansol his hero. The older boy used to hold Yuta in his arms to keep him from freezing, and he would always give him part of his food even when Yuta refused. Hansol would come up with a lie and say he was full, or he had a stomachache so Yuta would eat more. Every time Master would smell of that strong liquor and would throw himself at Yuta, hitting him and calling him names before ripping his already tattered clothes and rape him, Hansol, with all the force he could gather, would scratch at the disgusting man’s back until he got him so angry that he would forget about Yuta and take it out on him instead.

Hansol loved to tell Yuta happy stories that made him smile. He would tell him to close his eyes and imagine himself doing all those funny and cool things the main character was doing. He was Yuta’s companion. The one who patiently taught him lots of words and their meaning, the one who would sing to cheer him up, the one who would smile and encourage him to keep drawing because _'you are doing great, Yuta. Everything you do is beautiful, just like you.'_

With a few exceptions of Hansol and his explosive behavior against Master, they were good hybrids.

Why wasn't it enough?

Why did Master treat the new hybrid differently?

Yuta thinks he needs to be more grateful. He needs to show Master that he likes to be with him, and he appreciates all Master did for him and his brother.

"Woah, he looks awful." The brunette hybrid remarks, laughing.

Yuta has an idea of how he looks because he had seen his reflection into the water. He thought he looked really ugly despite Hansol telling him he was beautiful, that the water wasn't like a mirror and it made his face change. The young hybrid thought Hansol loved him too much, and that was the reason he saw him that way. After too many times of hearing the same words, Yuta had started to believe him.

Now though, looking at the hybrid in front of him with his shiny, fluffy tail that matches his equally fluffy ears, Yuta knows he isn't as pretty as Hansol made him think he was.  
Yuta barely has a layer of thin hair coating his ears, and his white tail (permanently dirty) is not fluffy at all. It's matted and full of knots, just like the rest of the hair on his head. He is sure he looks like a mess, and no matter how curious Yuta is about his appearance, after seeing the glamorous hybrid, he thinks he would rather not see himself.

"I know," Master says, tugging at Yuta towards the front door. "That's why you are here."

"Wh-where we going, m-master?" Yuta asks, putting a bit of resistance as he is being pulled into the truck. His eyes go wide in panic because being outside for the first time in his life is overwhelming, and he doesn't understand what is happening.

"I'm gonna get rid of you," Master mutters as he starts the engine of the red, rusty pickup truck.

"Wh-why?" Yuta knows he shouldn't be asking why. Things are the way they are and he doesn't have the right to ask 'why'. But he can't help himself. Tears start to fall down his cheeks.

Yuta doesn't want to go anywhere. He is scared and wants to stay in his dark, dirty room with the lingering scent of Hansol comforting him. He wants Hansol to come back and hold him in his arms, telling him pretty stories that have him as the main character. But that is impossible because Hansol is gone. He left Yuta, and he is never coming back to him.

Maybe if Yuta would have hugged him and shielded him from the cold. If Yuta would have refused when Hansol gave him his food. If Yuta would have been brave enough to stop Master from choking Hansol, he'd still be there, smiling and looking at him with his round, lovely eyes assuring him that everything was going to be okay. Yuta was too frightened to do anything that day. He wasn't used to being the one protecting others; he was the one who was always protected, so he didn't know how to act. And Yuta hates himself for it.

"You know, you were very cute back in the day." Master chuckles, shaking his head. "But as you grew up, you turned into an ugly mess. I don't know why it took me so long to do this. I'm sick of you and your fucking face! I'm finally gonna get rid of you now that I got myself a pretty hybrid."

It doesn't matter how much Master's words are digging hard into Yuta's heart. He still wants to go back home with Master and his painful games.

"B-but I'm good," Yuta cries out. "I'm good."

"It's all your fault!" Master says while punching Yuta anywhere he can reach. "She wanted another fucking hybrid! And no matter how much I loathed you disgusting creatures, I said yes because I loved her! And then she was so stupid that she got ill and left me with you and that other stupid cat!"

"I'm s-sorry." Yuta sobs. He doesn't have a clue what Master is saying. Who is she? Yuta doesn't know anyone except Master and Hansol. "Pl-please don't le-leave me."

"You are a pathetic piece of shit. Look at you begging me to stay after all I've done to you! I'd be crazy to take you back. Even with that white hair of yours, you are not worth shit." A mocking laugh leaves the man's chest. "Now shut the fuck up before I change my mind and kill you instead!"

Yuta brings his knees to his chest and makes himself as little as he can, crying silently because he doesn't want to die. His eyes are hurting not only because of the tears he can't stop shedding but also because of the sunlight he has never seen, at least not directly.

After a while, Yuta realizes it's not too difficult to memorize the way back, he just has to follow the road and it will lead him straight home. There is only grass and a few trees, but Yuta thinks he can make it.

That's until houses start to appear along the way, and the sun settles down. Of course, Yuta can still see, that is not a problem. The problem is that he is so shocked, scared, but most of all, curious about all the new noises and other cars passing by, and there's a lot of people walking around too, laughing and talking that it all makes Yuta stare at them. It distracts him.

When Yuta finally comes back to his head and focus on memorizing the path once again, he notices he has no idea where they are or where they came from. He looks back, searching for some type of signal that he could recognize, but it's pointless. They keep on making turn after turn, and Yuta's brain becomes all tangled.

It's absolutely dark by the time Master pulls up in some empty street, only a few lampposts illuminating.

Yuta observes Master as he gets out of the truck and opens the passenger's door, tugging him out, making him stumble on his feet.

"Ple-please, don't lea-leave me!" Yuta pleads in between sobs as he is dragged into the darkest ally.

Master clenches his jaw and keeps on walking before he pushes Yuta into the wall harshly, making him cry out in pain.

And even then, when Master is still hurting him, Yuta doesn’t want to be left on his own, without knowing what to do. If he only would have Hansol with him, things would be different. He wouldn't need Master anymore because his brother would be taking care of him, teaching him the good and bad stuff.

"Gonna be g-good! Gonna b-be pretty like-like him," Yuta says, referring to the new hybrid. "And be n-nice, not gonna s-scratch any-anymo-" he lets out another cry when Master interrupts him with a kick on his stomach.

"I'm done with you," Master says through gritted teeth. "I hated you since you were a baby. I can’t believe I spent twenty-four years hating you. But it's enough! I can’t even look at you without feeling disgusted!"

With a last kick on Yuta's ribs, Master turns around and walks away, hurrying his steps when Yuta crawls and tries to grab his legs, crying desperately, pleading not to leave him.  
Yuta falls against the concrete ground as he can’t do much with his hands still tied, making him clumsy.

With shaky legs, Yuta stands up and starts running as fast as he can, not taking his eyes off the truck.

“No!” Yuta screeches as he keeps running.

The vehicle gets farther and farther away. No matter how hard Yuta tries to run, little things are sticking into his feet that slow him down. A particular sharp object makes him hiss and fall to his knees. And when he looks up, the truck is no longer in sight.

Yuta stands up again; he walks and walks without knowing where to go. He closes his eyes and concentrates to his fullest into finding Master’s scent. There aren’t many scents Yuta knows. He used to focus on Hansol’s scent because it was the only thing that calmed him down and made him sleep better. Otherwise, he would smell dirt all the time, along with Master’s scent that was even worse than dirt. And then there was the smell of food, chicken in particular, and apples. But other than that, Yuta didn’t know much.

Right now though, there are so many unfamiliar scents Yuta’s nose is picking, that his eyes are getting watery, and he feels a little dizzy.

While he is walking, Yuta sees two people through a big glass window; the two men are talking animatedly and laughing. They seem nice, and Yuta thinks maybe they can help him find his way home.

The second Yuta pushes the door open and places a foot inside the shop, both men glance at him and their smiles instantly turn into frowns, looking at him with revulsion.

“C-can you pl-please help me-“

“Don’t you know how to read?!” One of the guys yells at him, causing Yuta to cover his ears. “No hybrids are allowed in my shop!”

Yuta just wants help. He needs to find his way home. Why would they treat him like this?

“Pl-please I want to g-go hom-“ He lets out a yelp when the other man stands up and grabs him by the arm before he pushes him out of the shop.

“Are you stupid? No fucking hybrids allowed! Get lost, you freak!” He spits out and slams the door in his face.

Yuta pouts and cries as he tries to rub his arm that hurts from the tight grip the man used on him. He keeps on walking, trying to find someone who can help him. The way those guys treated him terrified Yuta. Master told him people out here are mean, but Yuta didn’t believe him because Hansol said it wasn’t entirely true. He would never lie to him. However, Hansol might have been wrong because when Yuta sees a woman walking by and he approaches her…

“Hi, c-can you help-“

The woman scoffs and moves away from Yuta as quickly as she can.

Why does nobody want to help him?

Yuta is startled when drops of water fall on his skin. Even though he has never seen rain, the sound of it is familiar. Yuta remembers Hansol telling him about the rain and how he dipped his fingers into the cup of water and flicked it to his face, showing him how the rain felt. Yuta giggled at the little drops of water hitting his face, making Hansol laugh too.  
Yuta wants to laugh now too, except there is no Hansol to laugh with anymore, and the drops are hitting too heavy on his skin, it scares him.

The cold is something Yuta had to learn how to live with since forever. The only blanket he had was all worn out and had holes in it too, so it barely kept him warm. But what he is experiencing at the moment is something else, and being wet doesn’t help at all.

Why did Master leave him all alone? That is all Yuta can think of. If they lived their whole lives together and they are family, why did Master abandon him? He always told Yuta that he adopted him because his true parents didn’t love him and didn't want something like Yuta as their son.

Maybe this is it for Yuta. And while he sobs under the rain, shivering and aching all over, Yuta thinks it wouldn’t be that bad if he disappears. He has nothing left. No place to go. Hansol is gone. Master just ditched him as if he is trash. Yuta has no one. No friends, no family. So why would he still want to live?

-

Jaehyun is making his way back home when he does a double-take on something that’s definitely out of place. A hybrid in a neighborhood where hybrids aren’t allowed is curled up against a wall, getting all wet by the heavy rain. How did he get here? Jaehyun shakes his head and keeps driving. It’s none of his business.

Except it is, because if he doesn’t help him, he won’t be able to live with himself. He thinks about how people treat hybrids with cruelty and his mind goes instantly to his hybrids friends and how they would feel if they were in a situation like that. And Jaehyun’s heart is too big for his own good; he doesn’t have it in him leaving someone to fend for themselves if he can help them.

The sound of a vehicle door shutting makes Yuta look up, eyes lighting up and ears twitching as he thinks Master has come for him, that he regrets leaving him and is going to take him back home. But Yuta hides his face between his bruised knees as soon as he realizes it is not Master’s red truck that stopped in front of him, but a black car instead.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Yuta hugs his legs tighter and he lets out a whimper.

Jaehyun crouches in front of the shivering boy, trying to shield him with his umbrella even though he is completely drenched already. He carefully places his hand over the other’s shoulder, noticing under the dim light how bad he looks, it’s obvious he haven’t eaten in days and his clothes are all shredded, showing bruises all over.

The hybrid looks up and jerks away from Jaehyun’s touch, his eyes are wide and full of fear as he backs against the wall even more, curling himself into a little ball once again.

“This area will flood at any moment, you need to get out of here,” Jaehyun says.

The boy doesn’t look at him or makes a move at all. Jaehyun spoke softly as he didn’t want the other to be scared, so he assumes he didn’t hear him because the rain is too heavy and loud. Jaehyun can’t leave him alone in the rain and in this neighborhood, it’s cold and no one here will provide him a place to stay for the night. The hybrid will be dead before morning if Jaehyun doesn’t help him.

Jaehyun gets closer to the boy and makes sure his voice is louder. “You will drown if you stay here!”

That seems to earn the boy’s attention because his cat-like ears that were flattened against his head perk up immediately.

“Drown?”

Jaehyun nods and offers the hybrid his hand, who observes it cautiously before shyly placing his hands on Jaehyun’s palm. Jaehyun hadn’t noticed his wrists were tied until now, and he frowns. “Can I untie you? It looks painful.” He asks softly, not wanting to make a bold move that could scare him again.

Yuta nods in response and hisses in pain while the guy in front of him loosens the knot as carefully as he can with one hand. He doesn’t look bad, Yuta thinks. And when the man looks back at him and smiles, Yuta can see Hansol’s kindness in those eyes too. And he smells okay, nothing like those guys back at the shop where they treated him bad.

“Let’s go.” Jaehyun grabs Yuta’s hand and helps him on his feet before leading him to his car. Not even caring that the hybrid is drenched from head to toe.

“You were at a place where people don’t like hybrids,” Jaehyun says while stepping on the breaks, waiting for the light to turn green. “There are a lot of signs, didn’t you see them?”

The hybrid shakes his head. "Can't r-read."

"Oh." Jaehyun frowns at that. "Do you know where you live?"

"M-master left me th-there, he doesn't want m-me anym-more."

Jaehyun clenches his jaw at the word master. They clearly had him locked for a long time, probably since he was little if he doesn’t know how to read. There is no doubt he was used as a slave. Maybe. Jaehyun doesn’t know. He feels an incredible ire at the fact someone could do something like that and once they are done with their sick games, they leave him in a place they know it’s dangerous. A place where no one protects hybrids.

He has a lot of mixed feelings, but most of all, Jaehyun feels fear, because what is he supposed to do now? He can’t let the hybrid on his own when it’s obvious he cannot take care of himself, much less in that neighborhood where he would surely get insulted, severely injured, or even worse.

Well, there is no turning back now.

“Okay then, you will be coming with me, I guess.” Jaehyun turns to look at the boy sitting next to him and his heart feels tight in his chest as he sees him trembling, caressing his tail impatiently in sign of nervousness and discomfort.

“You?”

“Yeah. Unless you want to go somewhere else. But it is not safe for you to wander around. Especially if you can’t read.”

Despite Jaehyun wanting to explain all the dangers a hybrid that’s not integrated into society is prone to get into; such as getting hurt, taken for slavery or sex work among other things. He doesn’t want to overwhelm the hybrid with words he may not even comprehend.

Yuta wants to say and ask a lot of things, but he doesn’t want to get hit. Master was right, people out here are scary and mean.

Yuta wasn’t happy with Master. He did things to him he hated, but at least someone was taking care of him. And as he silently cries, he wishes he could go back home, where everything was okay and he was safe.


	2. Your name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is supposed to be the chapter summary, but I'm uploading it from my phone and I can't write on the chapter notes box :( I will correct it later along with other mistakes.
> 
> WARNING for sensitive people, there are mentions of blood and violence in this chapter.
> 
> I hope you are liking the story so far. Thank you for all the kudos, and the comments are really appreciated. (I will reply to them soon)

As expected, the ride to Jaehyun's apartment is silent. He turned the heat on so the hybrid would get warm, but the other is too wet for it to work. Jaehyun steals a few glances at the boy sitting next to him, and he can't believe the state the hybrid is in. Even though he knows of some nasty stuff hybrids have to go through, he had never experienced such heartbreaking sight.

"Can you tell me your name?" Jaehyun asks, eyeing curiously at the hybrid that is curled up against the door.

Yuta flinches at the sudden voice speaking to him. "Yuta."

That's even more confusing, Jaehyun thinks. Yuta is definitely a Japanese name.

"What about your surname?"

"Wh-at is s-sur-name?"

Jaehyun tightens his grip on the steering wheel as he hears the chattering of Yuta's teeth. The boy must be freezing, and Jaehyun just wants to wrap him with blankets until he stops feeling cold. "It's your family name. Who did you live with?"

"M-master."

There he is with the Master again. It makes Jaehyun get chills all over his body just thinking about it.

"But is he your father?"

Yuta shifts on his spot and shakes his head vigorously. Master always told him he wasn’t his father, just someone too stupid to take care of him. "Master s-says m-my family d-didn't lo-love m-me. Th-that's why I l-lived with h-him and Hansol."

“Who is Hansol?”

“M-my brother.”

Now, Hansol is a Korean name. Jaehyun wonders if Yuta was the only Japanese person in that place. Maybe this guy Yuta calls Master is also Japanese. Maybe Hansol is Master's biological son if Master is Korean too. Or maybe both Yuta and Hansol were sold, abducted, treated the same awful way. God, the gears in Jaehyun's brain can't stop spinning. He wants to understand.

“Oh, you have a brother? Where is he?” Jaehyun smiles a little, but it soon fades away as Yuta speaks.

“H-he is dead.”

“I’m sorry,” Jaehyun whispers.

There are a lot of questions Jaehyun would like to ask, so many doubts he has about Yuta and his relationship with that person who left him on the streets to die. And how did Hansol die? Was he mean to Yuta too? What did they do to him? But Jaehyun knows he can’t attack Yuta with so many questions yet.

Jaehyun sighs heavily. Things are worse than he imagined; he can't help Yuta if the only thing he knows it’s his first name. There is nowhere to start. Still, Jaehyun has to take responsibility now and help the hybrid because what other option does he have? He can’t feed him and give him a roof for the night and then kick him out. It would practically be the same as what that man did.

After a few minutes of silence. Yuta asks, "y-your name?"

Yuta's voice is so soft. Jaehyun likes the sound of it, it’s sweet. "My name is Jaehyun."

"Jaehyun," The hybrid whispers.

The rest of the ride is better, and luckily the rain has stopped, although the loud thunders and lightning make Yuta whimper softly every now and then. The tension has lifted a bit, and Jaehyun decides not to ask any more questions that could probably upset or make the other anxious. They are okay. There is no need to say anything else for now.

Yuta tenses as Jaehyun drives into the dark parking lot inside his building and stops the car. He observes wide-eyed as the human gets out of the vehicle and walks to his side.

"Come on, we have arrived." Jaehyun opens the passenger door and offers Yuta his hand. He digs his teeth into his bottom lip when the hybrid, shy and doubtful, grabs his hand once again and steps out of the car.

The hybrid turns his head around, wondering why there are so many cars. Yuta follows Jaehyun until they are on the street again, and he looks up at the building, his eyes open wider than before. Jaehyun is sure Yuta had never seen a building before in his whole life. And he is right.

"Looks w-weird."

Jaehyun points at the windows. "Look, every window is a different home. Some people live alone, and there are families too, couples. We are all neighbors, which means we all share the same building, but we live in separate spaces. Did you have any neighbors?”

Yuta thinks about it and then shakes his head. He never heard Master talking about neighbors, and even today when they left the house, there weren’t other houses around them.

"Y-you l-live alone?"

Jaehyun thinks the way Yuta speaks is concerning; he misses a lot of words, and it's understandable given the fact he was obviously deprived of education. The state the hybrid is in, is also worrying; he is too skinny and his ears and tail look poorly taken care of. He doesn’t have much hair, and the only hair he has looks thin and weak.

Shaking his thoughts away, Jaehyun holds Yuta's hand gently in his own and leads him inside the building.

"Yes. I'll show you. Let's go."

Yuta had never imagined a place like this could exist. Not even in his dreams or the few pictures he had seen in the magazines Master had at home. Not even in the stories Hansol used to narrate him. Everything is clean and shiny, and it smells weird. Not in a bad way. It doesn’t make his nose burn, so it’s more than welcome. Yuta can even see himself, although blurry, in the reflection of the giant tiles and spotless glass doors.

He is so distracted by every little thing that when the ding of the elevator doors sounds, he jumps back.

Jaehyun looks at Yuta, who had let go of his hand, and notices how his ears flattened against head and he is nipping softly at his fingertips, scared.

"This will take us to my home." Jaehyun takes a few steps closer to Yuta and smiles. "I promise it won't hurt you. We'll go together."

That seems to convince Yuta because he nods, grabs Jaehyun by the sleeve of his shirt, and follows him inside the elevator. The place is too small. Yuta fears the walls would close and would smash him. He doesn’t like it. And he doesn’t like it either when he feels he is going to fall as it starts to make a noise. Without thinking too much, he glues himself to Jaehyun's arm.

Jaehyun lets Yuta cling onto his arm with no problem. "It's just noise. You are safe."

Once the elevator stops and the doors open, Yuta quickly steps out, not even waiting for Jaehyun. It was scary, and he wanted to get out of there as soon as he could.

"See? You are still in one piece," Jaehyun says, letting out a chuckle at how fast Yuta’s legs carried him. He points to the door with the number seven. "Do you know number seven?"

Yuta tilts his head to the side and looks down at his hands before starting to close his fingers. Just like Hansol had taught him. He proudly shows Jaehyun what he did and says, "seven."

"That’s right!" Jaehyun nods. "Well, this is the number you have to remember. Seven is where I live. Seventh floor, door number seven. Okay?"

"Seven and seven." Yuta nods, letting Jaehyun know he was listening and paying attention.

Yuta is in awe as he steps inside Jaehyun's apartment, his ears twitch with curiosity. He wants to touch and smell everything. But he doesn't move because he doesn't have the permission to do so. Yuta stays by the door, softly brushing his fingers through his damp tail as he observes Jaehyun take off his shoes and disappear into one of the rooms.

Yuta lifts his face and takes a deep breath. His stomach grumbles and his mouth waters at the smell of food. He is so starved that he doesn't care about how cold he is, and before he can stop himself, he follows that scent that is making his senses go crazy. Although he is confused when he reaches the kitchen because there is no food in sight. Yuta is sure he could smell chicken and some other stuff, but there is none of that.

A pout forms on his lips, and he sighs in disappointment. But then the light coming from the living room illuminates the kitchen table, making Yuta's eyes catch something he loves just as much as chicken; round and shiny apples.

Yuta bites his lip and fiddles with his fingers as he considers if he should grab one or not. Maybe Jaehyun will get mad at him and will punish him just as Master would when he did something bad. He can't take his eyes off it though, there is nothing else that matters more than that delicious apple waiting for him.

In a swift movement, Yuta snatches an apple and scurries under the table. He makes a little sound at the back of his throat as he takes the first bite. It's juicy and crunchy, and deliciously sweet. Nothing like the apples he had back at home where they were dry and chewy.

"Yuta?" Jaehyun walks back into the living room, his work clothes replaced with some sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt.

Jaehyun frowns as he can't see Yuta anywhere. He gets scared for a moment, thinking maybe he went out until he hears a little thump of something hitting the kitchen floor. Jaehyun leaves the clothes he had brought for Yuta on the sofa and makes his way to the kitchen. He turns on the lights and crouches when he sees Yuta's feet and tail peeking from under the table.

"I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry." Yuta sobs. He is hugging his legs to his chest, and he is hiding his face between his knees, his ears flattened against his head in sign of fear once again.

Jaehyun doesn't understand what is going on. The hybrid was okay.

"Yuta, what's wrong?" Jaehyun asks. "Come out here."

"I'm s-sorry, was h-hungry. I'm sorry." Yuta keeps on murmuring apologizing words in between hiccups.

Jaehyun's eyes land on the bitten apple lying next to Yuta, and he understands now why Yuta is under the table. He doesn't know exactly under what circumstances the hybrid lived, but apologizing for eating an apple says a lot. It makes Jaehyun angry, sad and frustrated.

Jaehyun slowly crawls closer to Yuta and picks the apple from the floor. "Here, you can have it."

Yuta looks up so fast that he hits his head on the table. It doesn't hurt, not when the only thing he can focus on is Jaehyun's hand stretched out, offering him the apple he shouldn't have grabbed. The hybrid bites his lip, wondering if this is a trap, a test perhaps. When he looks at the other's eyes, they hold the same expression Hansol's eyes did. That's when Yuta realizes it is a genuine gesture.

Except maybe he was wrong because when he is about to reach out for the apple, Jaehyun retreats his hand.

"Shit-" Jaehyun curses under his breath when he notices what he did. "I didn't mean to do that. Take it, please." He places the apple in front of Yuta and scoots away to give him space.

Yuta shakes his head, sniffing. He is not dumb. Master had played him like that multiple times; he would tempt him and offer him stuff, and when Yuta would take them, Master would pull at his ear or slap his hand away.

"I just wanted you to come out from under the table, really." Jaehyun tries to convince Yuta, who is wiping his face with his arm. "You don't have to hide to eat."

"Gonna hit m-me." Yuta shivers.

"I'm not going to hit you," Jaehyun says. He grabs the bowl that contains the apples and places it in front of Yuta, who looks like he wants to devour them all in one bite. "You can eat them all. You can eat them while you are under the table if it makes you feel safe. But I'd like it if you can come out and eat them with me."

Yuta looks unsure. He wants them all because he had never tasted such delicious apples. However, Yuta doesn't know if Jaehyun is being honest. All this stuff just messes with his brain even more.

There is only one way to find out if Jaehyun is telling the truth; Yuta holds the bowl against his body, careful that the fruits don't fall, and crawls from under the table, ready to get smacked on the head. But nothing happens. And when he looks at Jaehyun, he is smiling at him. _Why would he smile?_

"Do you like apples?" Jaehyun asks. Yuta nods timidly as he takes a tiny bite of one apple, his eyes still trained on Jaehyun, following his every move. "You can have them, I'll buy more later."

Jaehyun's heart flutters when Yuta grabs another apple and offers- more like shoves it onto his chest. Even under all that dirt, the younger man thinks the hybrid is cute. He takes the apple in his hand and bites on it, humming in appreciation at how tasty it is. "It's really good, isn't it?"

"It's really good." Yuta repeats.

"I know I said you can eat them all, and you can if you want. But I'm going to cook something even more delicious for us, like chicken maybe, or beef. I'm sure you will enjoy it a lot." Jaehyun isn't sure if Yuta understands everything he says. He doesn't even know how much Yuta knows about the world, so he tries to speak slowly, and he pays a lot of attention at every twitch of Yuta's ears and the way his tail moves around his body. Jaehyun has three hybrid best friends, after all. He knows the good and bad signs. But Yuta is special, and even if he shares some logic similarities with the rest of the hybrids, Jaehyun doesn't know the part of Yuta as a human or the trauma he obviously has been through. "Would you like that?"

Yuta looks at the apples and then back at Jaehyun before leaving the bowl over the table. Apples are one of his favorite things to eat, but nothing beats chicken or beef. "I would like that."

"Good." Jaehyun smiles. "Um I was also thinking you can get cleaned up and put some clothes on to keep you warm while I prepare dinner. Will that be okay with you?"

"Don't h-have clothes." Yuta pouts, looking down at his pants and thin shirt hanging off his body.

"That's fine, look..." Jaehyun dashes to the living room and comes back with a change of clothes. "You can wear mine."

Yuta leans forward and unconsciously presses the tip of his nose into the clothes being offered to him. His eyes close at the fresh smell irradiating from them, and he nuzzles his face against the softness of the fabric.

"I'm glad you like them." Jaehyun chuckles.

Yuta gasps and steps back, shutting his eyes tight, waiting for a smack or a pull at his ears. Again, nothing happens. "S-sorry." _Why doesn’t Jaehyun hit him?_

"It's okay. Come on, I'll show you the bathroom."

The first thing Yuta does when they enter the bathroom is look at his reflection in the huge mirror. His eyes fill with tears as he reaches out to touch his own face. He doesn't look good. Why would someone want to keep him when he looks like that? That is why Master got rid of him; he knew his ears weren't fluffy like the new hybrid Master had brought home. And his face was too skinny, his bones were too prominent. Now Yuta understands why he abandoned him.

"You have never seen yourself, have you?"

Jaehyun's soft voice makes Yuta turn his attention to him. He shakes his head in reply and looks back at the mirror, now checking his body. It looks as disgusting as his face; he thinks.

Jaehyun would like to know what's going on inside Yuta's mind and be able to say something to help him. It must be shocking to see yourself for the first time and notice you are in a pretty bad shape. And although his physical appearance is extremely worrying, it's the look on Yuta's eyes what bothers and concerns Jaehyun the most; they hold a mix of sorrow and fear, and Jaehyun doesn’t know if it will disappear someday.

"Would you like to clean yourself now or you prefer to do it later?" Jaehyun asks, hoping to take Yuta off the trance he seems to be in.

"Now is okay." Yuta grabs his tail and holds it against his chest.

Jaehyun nods and gives him a little smile before turning around to turn on the shower.

"C-cold." Yuta whimpers softly. Even if he washed himself with cold water his whole life, it doesn't mean he likes it. Especially when Master forced him into the tub filled with it. He would thrash around, splashing water all over the bathroom which would make Master angry, and then he would hit Yuta and pull his head under the water until he was calm enough.

"Will you give me your hand, please?" Jaehyun stretches his hand out for Yuta to take, and cheers on the inside when the hybrid places his hand on top of his. He scoops a bit of warm water into his free hand and slowly pours it into Yuta's palm, causing the latter to hum. "See? It’s warm. And if you twist this one like this." Jaehyun twists the handle to show Yuta how it's done. "It will be warmer. But you can burn yourself, so be careful, okay? You can twist it back if you don't like the water too hot."

Yuta observes with utmost attention Jaehyun's movements and hears carefully what he says. Yuta is eager to go under the warm water, but Jaehyun keeps on talking.

"Use this," Jaehyun points to a black bottle, "to wash your hair and tail. And this one, to wash the rest of your body. Yeah?" He then points to the blue bottle.

Jaehyun is worried about the products he uses because he doesn't know if they will be bad for Yuta's skin and hair. While there are hybrids that can use any kind of products (even if they are not specified for them), there are hybrids, like his friend Taeyong that needs a certain brand and ingredients, otherwise, he will get rashes all over his body and he will be itchy for days.

It is the best Jaehyun can offer him. He just hopes it won't damage Yuta even more than he already is.

"And here you have the towel to dry yourself, and the clothes all clean and ready to wear." Jaehyun points out to the items he left over the counter, and makes his way out of the bathroom. "Call me if you need anything."

When Yuta hears the click of the door being shut, he takes his clothes off and jumps into the shower. A soft moan leaves his lips as the warm water runs over his tired, cold body. He grabs the shampoo and squeezes a little into his hand before lathering it into his hair. Yuta makes a face as he feels the knots he can't get rid of since Hansol left him. The older boy would patiently separate his hair little by little and make sure it wouldn't form knots in it. But Yuta couldn't do it on his own, and now he is left with a few painful knots. He pays special attention to his tail and his ears, although they hurt a little, so he doesn't spend too much time on them.

The next thing Yuta does is wash his body. He loves the way all the dirt sticking to his skin slowly melts away, turning the slightly foamy water all cloudy. And Yuta looks amazed at the bubbly water trailing down his legs, then his feet, and it quickly goes down the drain. He had never washed his body with something like that, only with water and a washcloth that usually never left him smelling good, just clean enough.

As Yuta rubs the towel all over himself, he realizes the smell of the body wash still clings onto his skin and he really likes that and how it made him soft to the touch. What he also likes is the way Jaehyun's clothes are oversized on him and engulf him entirely in that sweet, fresh smell that for some reason it makes Yuta's ears twitch contently and his heart beat faster. It’s weird, but he feels safe. Just like he did when Hansol would hug him to sleep.

The mirror is all fogged up, and Yuta wants to see his reflection again. See if something changed or if he is still a mess as he was fifteen minutes ago.

Yuta lifts his hand and slowly glides it over the mirror. Yuta's big eyes take in his appearance once again; he wasn't expecting a huge change, of course, but he actually looks a bit different after that shower. He likes to think he looks different. His hair is the thing that stands out the most for him because minutes ago, it was all dirty, making it look another color. Now it looks almost white, like Hansol told him it looked when they were younger.

Yuta quickly averts his eyes. Even though he is clean, he still thinks he looks awful.

As soon as he opens the door, the smell of chicken makes his stomach growl. He forgets about the way he looks and quietly goes to the kitchen.

Jaehyun lets the chicken cook for a few more minutes while he waits for Yuta to finish his shower. He doesn't know what he is going to do with the hybrid yet, but he won't leave him on the street. And he can't take him to the authorities either. God only knows what they would do with him.

Jaehyun leans against the counter and rubs his face with his hands, sighing as he tries to think of a solution. When the wooden floor creaks, he looks up and finds Yuta's face peeking from behind the door frame, staring intensely at the food cooking.

"How was the shower?" Jaehyun asks, and Yuta flinches back. He was so focused on the smell of the food in front of him that he forgot Jaehyun was there.

"Good." Yuta nods but steps back as Jaehyun suddenly starts to approach him.

Jaehyun takes the hint and stays on his spot. Then something makes him gasp softly, he is confused because Yuta’s hair seemed like a light blonde at first sight, but his hair is practically white. No one has ever seen a hybrid with white hair before. It can't be dye because he knows hybrid's hair doesn't lighten up that much and it always turns yellow or orange, even with blonde hybrids doesn’t work, there is something about their hair that makes it impossible to turn white.

"Your hair..." Jaehyun breathes out.

Yuta grows anxious at the way Jaehyun is looking at him. His tail comes around his waist as if trying to protect himself, and his ears lay flat against his head as he walks backward because Jaehyun is getting closer to him.

"N-No!" Yuta whimpers. He trips on something and falls onto the floor.

Jaehyun doesn't realize what he is doing until Yuta falls.

"I'm sorry!" Jaehyun lifts his hands and steps back hurriedly. It wasn't his intention to make him scared again. He was so shocked by the hybrid's hair that he didn't notice he was kind of cornering him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Once again, Yuta sees the same gentleness Hansol used to look at him, and he thinks Jaehyun won’t hurt him if he is something like Hansol.

Yuta shakes his head.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Jaehyun speaks softly. "It’s just… you- you have white hair."

Is it wrong to have white hair? Since Yuta was a little kid, Master would always touch his hair a lot, yank at it, too. He would say if people knew there was a white-haired hybrid they wouldn't leave him alone. That he would be in every magazine, in everyone's mouth. But Yuta never understood the reason why.

"It's ugly, I know."

"No. It's- it is really beautiful."

Yuta feels his eyes burning with tears. "Lies."

Jaehyun shakes his head and takes careful steps towards Yuta one more time. He doesn't get too close though. "I'm not lying. Do you know that there is no other hybrid in the entire world with white hair like yours?"

"Really?" Yuta tilts his head and opens his eyes wide in surprise.

Jaehyun nods and smiles.

Not wanting to overwhelm him, Jaehyun lets the topic go. Besides, he can hear Yuta's stomach growling.

"Are you hungry?" Yuta nods, biting his lip. "Please, sit down."

Jaehyun turns around, and goes to check the food while Yuta moves to a corner in the kitchen and sits on the floor.

"I hope you like- Yuta?" Jaehyun frowns when he sees Yuta sitting on the floor. He is going to ask why he is there, but he knows why. And it makes his chest hurt. "You don't have to sit on the floor, okay? We can sit together at the same table while we share the food."

For Yuta, that is not allowed. Hybrids don't have the right to sit at the same table with humans. So he shakes his head.

"Animals don't-"

"You are not an animal. You are not a pet." Jaehyun is quick to interrupt. He hates it when people refer to hybrids as animals. "I may not have a tail or ears like yours, but the rest of me is exactly the same as yours. We have a few differences, and that's okay. Every person, every hybrid is unique, and that's okay too."

His entire life, Yuta had been hearing he shouldn't do what humans do because he is not one of them. His ears and tail belong to animals, he is not a person. _He is not a person._

"So please, Yuta, will sit down on the chair and share dinner with me?"

Jaehyun confuses him. Master said all humans treat hybrids very bad, that was why he didn’t let Yuta be outside and meet new people. Why is Jaehyun, a human, treating him nicely? And even though it is confusing, it's also making Yuta feel all tingly on the inside.

Yuta nods and stands up before sitting on a chair, making Jaehyun's dimples appear as he smiles widely. The hybrid never saw something like that before. He doesn't know what those little indents on his cheeks are called because Hansol never mentioned it. But he really likes it.

Yuta looks expectant as Jaehyun fills some bowls with the food he prepared and places them in front of him. He squirms on the chair, ready to eat, but contains himself and waits for Jaehyun to join him. But then another thing stops him from eating because he doesn't know how to use the chopsticks.

"C-can you help me?" Yuta lifts the chopsticks.

"Sure." Jaehyun accommodates them on Yuta's fingers. "You keep this in place and move this one to grab the food. Try it."

"Thank you."

The first try is a success. But then it gets more complicated as his fingers keep on slipping, and it frustrates Yuta because he is really hungry, and he doesn't have the patience for it at the moment. Jaehyun notices it, of course, so he grabs a spoon and hands it to him.

"It will be easier with the spoon."

A chuckle leaves Jaehyun's lips as he observes Yuta immediately digging into the rice and then the chicken.

"How is it? Do you like it?" The younger asks.

Yuta nods eagerly before taking another spoonful of rice.

"Okay, but slow down." Jaehyun is happy that Yuta is finally eating after who knows how long, but he doesn't want him to choke or that his stomach aches later for eating too fast. "The food is not going anywhere. If you eat too fast you could get sick, and we don’t really want that, yeah?"

Yuta denies with his head. He puts the spoon down and chews slower, taking his time to savor the food.

They mostly eat in silence. There is a bit of awkwardness surrounding them, but it's not as uncomfortable as Jaehyun thought it would be. He even asks Yuta about what kind of food he likes when the other says the chicken tastes like no other chicken he tasted before. The response Yuta gives him doesn't even surprises Jaehyun; Yuta says he eats a lot of rice and cold food (mostly chicken and pork). Probably leftovers.

Once they finish dinner, Yuta helps Jaehyun to clean the table. Even when Jaehyun tells him not to because he is his guest. It only takes a look at Yuta's big, pleading eyes for Jaehyun to allow him to help.

“I saw your knees were scraped earlier.”

“I fell.”

Jaehyun hums. “Do you have any other injury?”

Without answering, Yuta takes his sock off and shows Jaehyun the cut he got on his foot from when he was running after Master’s truck. “Cut my shoulder too. D-don’t know h-how.” Well, Yuta knows how, he just doesn’t want to say it.

It happened days ago when the hybrid went to see him to his room, and Yuta being so naïve thought he was there to talk. He happily stood up and got closer to the brown-haired boy, but as soon as Yuta was in front of him, the hybrid pushed him away, causing him to fall and cut his shoulder with the sharp corner of his bed.

"Can I see?"

Yuta doubts for a second before tugging the sweatshirt down, revealing the small but deep cut on his shoulder. "Hurts a little."

Jaehyun gulps at the slight redness around the wound and tries to stay as calm as he can to not worry the hybrid. "Would you let me clean it?"

"W-why?"

"It could get infected. It's dangerous, you could get very sick."

Blinking his eyes rapidly, and with quivering lips, Yuta nods. He doesn't want Jaehyun to do it.

There is this memory at the back of his head where he cut his hand while washing the dishes, and a lot of blood was gushing out of it. Yuta was scared, and it hurt a lot, so it was understandable he didn't want Master to touch it. But of course, Yuta should have listened the first time Master said _'Yuta, come here and let me clean it. Don't make me stand up'._ Anchoring himself on the corner of his room wasn't a smart decision he soon realized as Master grasped him by the arm and forced his hand open before pouring alcohol on it, causing Yuta to cry in pain at the stinging feeling. _'Maybe you'll learn to listen next time'._ It wasn't nice.

This time will be the same, and fighting won't lead him anywhere.

Noticing Yuta's fear, Jaehyun quickly says, "I'll be gentle. I promise."

"Okay." Yuta doesn't believe him, but he has no choice.

Jaehyun goes to the bathroom and comes back to the kitchen with a few things in his hands. He stands in front of the sink and motions at Yuta to join him. The hybrid walks slowly near him, with his head hanging low.

"I'm going to wash it with water and soap first to get rid of any bacteria," Jaehyun says. He washes his hands with the soap and rubs his fingers together to create foam. "Pull down your sleeve."

Yuta closes his eyes, pulls down his sleeve, and takes a deep breath, waiting for the stinging feeling to come. Instead, the only thing he feels is Jaehyun's wet fingers gliding gently over his skin. He opens his eyes and looks at Jaehyun, who has a slight pout on his lips and seems too concentrated on what he is doing.

_Why is it not hurting?_

"Is it okay? Does it hurt too much?" Jaehyun asks.

"Doesn't hurt." It really doesn’t. Yuta has been through a lot of pain in his life. The slight pain he is feeling right now is nothing in comparison.

Jaehyun keeps the process for a few more seconds and then softly dabs a wet gauze over it to rinse off the soap. He opens a tube and squeezes some ointment onto his pointer finger before rubbing it into the wound. "This will help with the healing and will prevent infection." As a final touch, Jaehyun covers the cut with a bandage.

"It wasn't too bad, right?"

Yuta shakes his head in response.

"If you let me, I can do the same with your knees and the cut on your foot."

This time, Yuta agrees not because he has no other choice but because Jaehyun was actually gentle as he said he would be, and it didn't hurt.

Jaehyun makes Yuta sit on a chair so he is more comfortable, and moves another chair in front of him, placing Yuta's leg on his lap before carefully treating his scraped knees and cut foot.

A smile takes over Jaehyun's face as he watches Yuta's eyes fluttering as he tries to stay awake. He seems so tired. The younger can't even imagine the exhaustion the hybrid must be feeling.

"Yuta." Jaehyun softly taps him on the arm, startling Yuta anyway. "Shh it's fine. Do you want me to show you your room so you can go to sleep?"

Yuta nods sleepily and stands up.

The hybrid thinks the room he is going to sleep in will be like the one he had back at home, and it's fine, it doesn't bother him. However, when Jaehyun opens a door and turns on the lights, Yuta is in awe at how nice everything looks. It's even prettier than Master's room.

"I'm staying here?" Yuta's voice breaks. He turns to look at Jaehyun. His eyes glisten in the lights that luckily aren't so bright that it hurts his eyes.

"Yes. Is it okay?"

_"It's beautiful."_

The room is so simple with white walls, a full-size bed, standard dresser, and a few framed pictures his best friend Johnny gifted him decorating the walls. Jaehyun thinks Yuta deserves a king size bed with a better mattress and fluffier pillows.

"You can use as many pillows as you like. And if you are cold, there are more blankets in here." He walks to the dresser and opens a drawer to show Yuta where the extra blankets are.

"Thank you for letting me stay here," Yuta whispers.

"You are welcome." Jaehyun smiles at him. "Do you have any questions? Something you need?"

"No. Thank you." He does have a lot of questions, but he is too tired to think at the moment.

"Alright then, my room is just right in front of yours, so if you change your mind you can come and ask me. Don't be afraid. And you already know where the bathroom is." To be honest, Jaehyun would really like to chat with Yuta and know him more. He wants to ask him about his life and show him he is not what he thinks he is, what they made him believe he is. Jaehyun understands though that the hybrid needs to rest first. "Good night, Yuta."

"Good night." Yuta's lips twitch into a little, almost imperceptible smile.

A sigh leaves Jaehyun's lips as he gets out of the room and closes the door behind him. He turns off all the lights, except one in the living room just in case Yuta gets up, and goes to the bathroom to brush his teeth before walking into his room and plopping down on his bed, not even bothering to get under the comforter.

Bringing Yuta into his home was a very spontaneous decision; things might get harder as the days go by, but Jaehyun doesn't regret it one bit.

He just wants to do everything he can to help the hybrid get his life back.  



	3. Learning to trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY! updating after I don't even know how long AGAIN
> 
> I am so so so thankful for all the coments and al the love you give my works. I always feel so bad because I'm so fucking lazy to update. I don't deserve you guys, really, THANK YOU.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter, excuse any mistakes, for me there are four more hours until new year but I wanted to upload this quickly. I don't actually know how the chapter ended up looking and if I forgot to change something lol

Yuta’s eyes wander all over the room, fascinated by the way it all looks perfect and beautiful. It’s not as big as his room at Master’s place, but it certainly is prettier. Yuta likes and prefers the simplicity of it. He walks to the window and presses his nose and hands against the glass. The view is impressive; there are a few other buildings in front of him, and Yuta can’t believe there are so many people living around them. He wonders if other hybrids are living nearby.

The dark clouds hover in the sky, and the rain has started to fall again. Yuta is glad he is not out there in the streets anymore, under the intense, cold rain and loud noises.

When he glances down, a sudden feeling of dizziness gets over him. Scared of falling, Yuta quickly tugs the curtains closed and strides to the bed. The blue comforter is so, so thick that Yuta just wants to wrap himself in it. He is sure he would never feel cold again. He pulls the comforter down and slowly climbs into the bed, humming when the mattress sinks slightly under his weight. His fingers dance over the soft sheets as he hears the tinkling sound of the raindrops hitting against the window.

The light in the room is fine, but it’s definitely bothersome for someone who is used to sleep in complete darkness, so Yuta rushes out of the bed and flicks the switch off, sighing contently as he climbs back into the warm bed and lies down on his back. He closes his eyes, thinking he will fall asleep quickly because it has been a very exhausting day. But his mind has other plans because the first thing he thinks about, it’s how much he misses his own bed; hard and uncomfortable, with a not so pleasant smell. Nonetheless, it was his bed, his little area of comfort.

Yuta never expected to be in the position he is in, he thought Master would always take care of him and give him a home. His true parents didn’t want him, Master doesn’t want him, and neither does society. The only one who truly loved him was gone. What is Yuta supposed to do now? For how long is Jaehyun going to let him stay? Maybe tomorrow he will have to leave.

A muffled sob leaves Yuta’s lips as he rolls onto his side and circles his arms around his legs. He doesn’t know if he will make it on his own.

After almost an hour of crying, Yuta finally becomes too tired to keep his swollen eyes open. Little, involuntary sobs make his body shake slightly until his mind gradually drifts into nothing. The lingering sweet smell of Jaehyun blended with the powdery floral scent of the comforter helps Yuta to relax and fall asleep.

Yuta doesn’t know what to expect. He may have to live in the streets from now on. So tonight, at least for one night, he will dream of being in this room forever. Yuta will dream of a gentle smile with deep dimples, he will try his hardest to remember how safe he feels in between the soft mattress and the comforting smell of the covers sprawled over his body. Maybe tomorrow Yuta will have to face the bitter reality where no one wants him near, where no one accepts him for who he is.

-

Jaehyun wakes up at his alarm going off and stretches his limbs, sighing deeply afterward. He doesn't know why, but he feels drained. Then a soft groan leaves his lips as he remembers the previous day and that he actually has a hybrid he doesn't even know sleeping in the other room.

Twenty-four ago, Jaehyun didn’t have any worries. He is a simple man; with a small circle of good, loyal friends, a loving family and a job he enjoyed. But it’s crazy how things can change in a second.

Right at the moment, he is sheltering someone who, in Jaehyun eyes and by the little he got to interact with the hybrid, was undoubtedly locked up since a young age, neglected, mistreated, and who knows what else. Jaehyun's brain was about to explode.

Either way, he repeats to himself he doesn't regret bringing Yuta home. He can't regret it.

Jaehyun didn't wake up the whole night. Perhaps he was expecting Yuta to make noise or come to his room and wake him. But nothing happened. At least he didn't hear anything at all.

Part of him is curious and wants to check on Yuta, wake him up and prepare breakfast for him, see him eat and hear those little sounds of appreciation the hybrid would make that Jaehyun is sure the other hasn't even noticed. But another part of him is scared and doesn't even want to open that door because he truly doesn't know what he is going to find, and that makes him anxious. What if Yuta is not there anymore? What if he broke his stuff and- no, Jaehyun shakes his head. The look in his eyes is too pure. The hybrid wouldn't do that, he is sure of that.

Jaehyun ruffles his hair and rubs the sleep off his face with his hands before standing up from the bed and silently makes his way towards the guest room. It's completely dark when he opens the door, and he is about to leave, thinking the other must still be asleep, when he hears the rustle of the sheets.

"Are you awake?" He whispers. The hybrid hums softly. "Can I turn on the lights?"

Jaehyun smiles as he hears another hum.

His heart melts at the sight in front of him; Yuta is in the middle of the bed lying on his stomach, he is all the way around with his feet resting on top of the pillows and his head at the foot of the bed, completely covered up by the comforter. The only visible part of the hybrid is half of his face, looking expectantly as he brings his hand up to brush a chunk of hair to the side.

Jaehyun kneels on the floor at the foot of the bed and places his arms over it. He can tell Yuta is distressed by the way he nibbles at the tips of his fingers.

"How did you sleep?"

Yuta looks baffled at the question, as if no one has ever asked him something like that. And no one has. Not even Hansol. Why would someone want to know how he slept?

Yuta keeps his eyes wide open, not knowing what to say. He stares and stares at Jaehyun as if looking for a sign that shows him he is not as good and nice as he seems to be. That at any moment he is going to pounce on him and treat him the way he deserves to be treated. "Wasn't c-cold." A simple reply.

"That's good." Jaehyun holds eye contact between them. It's not his intention to intimidate the other, but he can't help it. There is something about Yuta's eyes that has Jaehyun hypnotized; they are so big and honest. His eyes show that there is no hint of malice in Yuta, and there is also so much fear and sadness in them. Jaehyun just hopes he can help him somehow.

"Were you comfortable?" Jaehyun adds.

"Yes." The answer coming from Yuta is barely a whisper.

"I'm going to make us breakfast," Jaehyun says after a few seconds of just staring at Yuta. "Will you join me?"

Yuta nods slowly and curls his fingers around the comforter anxiously as he watches Jaehyun standing up and making his way out of the room.

"Can I- go to bathroom pl-please?"

"Of course you can." Jaehyun turns on his feet and leans against the doorframe. "You don't need to ask permission to go to the bathroom, or to eat. Look, you- umm..." Thinking it's not the right time to speak, the younger shakes his head. "We will talk later. For now, let's just get ready for breakfast because I'm hungry and you need to eat too. Alright?"

Jaehyun smiles softly as Yuta nods and squirms on the bed. He closes the door to give Yuta some privacy and sighs deeply.

It went okay. Better than he thought.

They are in the middle of eating breakfast when Jaehyun notices how Yuta shakes his head now and then. He has been doing it since yesterday, and it could be possible it's just a habit. But given the condition Yuta is in, Jaehyun worries it might be something else.

"Do you always shake your head like that?"

Startled by the sudden question, Yuta drops the spoon on the table. He denies and looks down at his lap because he believes Jaehyun is scolding him. Shaking his head is not something he is supposed to do. "S-sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Jaehyun moves his chair closer to Yuta until they are less than an arm at a distance. He doesn't miss the way the hybrid's voice quivers, and he knows he is scaring him, but he can't help himself. He wants to be close, hold his hand, at least. Show Yuta he is not going to do anything to hurt him. That he just wants to help.

"F-for sh-shaking m-my head. I'm sorry. I'm s-sorry." Yuta blinks and his tears run down his cheeks. He flinches as Jaehyun's hand makes contact with his skin, but he relaxes when he notices the other is just wiping his tears away and not slapping him like Master would have done for being weak.

Yuta never wanted to believe it. He remembers all the arguments he used to have with Hansol when he told him people were nice out there, and Yuta would get so mad that they would spend hours without talking. Sometimes, even if Yuta trusted Hansol with his life, he believed more in what Master said. He always thought all the stories Hansol told him about people being nice were just that, stories to make him feel better and distract his mind from the awful reality they were living. But as he feels Jaehyun's gentle touch against his cheeks, maybe there is someone good in this world that doesn't look at him as if he is a monster, something unnatural.

"Why do you do it? Is it just because or...?" Jaehyun doesn't intend for his voice to come out like a broken whisper. He feels his throat closing up as he looks at Yuta being so vulnerable and frightened, used to receiving hits at every little thing he does.

"M-my ears h-hurt."

"Oh."

In the short period of time Yuta has been in his life (not even a day), Jaehyun hasn't considered speaking with his friends about the whole situation. At least, not until he has a solid plan or an idea of what he is going to do. But things might have to change now that Yuta is hurting because he will have to call Jungwoo to check up on him. And well… Jungwoo is a good guy, an excellent friend, but he is also a bit cheeky, and he can't keep secrets among their group of friends.

As soon as Jungwoo finds out about Yuta, the others will also know.

"Do you know how long it has been since you feel this way?" Even when Yuta makes himself as little as he can in a clear sign of fear, Jaehyun does a cautious move and inches his hand closer to the base of Yuta's ear, putting a slight pressure there and causing Yuta to whine and move away from him a little. The hybrid definitely needs a professional look at it. "I'm sorry, I won't do that again."

"Lots of d-days."

"We will do something for it to stop hurting, okay?" Jaehyun smiles at him. He grabs the spoon Yuta dropped and gently places it on his hand, urging him to eat. "Come on, let's finish breakfast."

He is going to be in so much trouble when his friends find out.

-

Jaehyun takes a deep breath before he places his hand on the doorknob and opens it.

"Hi Jaehyunnie!" Jungwoo smiles widely and gives him a brief hug.

"Hey, thank you for coming." The younger bites his lip nervously. "I know it's Saturday, and you probably wanted to rest in the afternoon-"

"Cut it out already." Jungwoo chuckles. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to."

When they spoke over the phone earlier, Jaehyun only told Jungwoo that he needed him to come visit him as soon as he could, and Jungwoo, being the sweetheart he is, told him he would pass by later after his morning shift. No questions needed.

Jaehyun still doesn't know how to break it up to his friend he found a hybrid and that he is going to... yeah Jaehyun doesn't even know what he is going to do with Yuta yet. His head is a mess.

Oh, Yuta. Jaehyun grimaces internally when he remembers he hasn't even told the hybrid he would bring someone to check up on his ears. He was so busy and scared thinking about how Yuta was going to react, he completely forgot he hadn't let him know Jungwoo was coming at all.

 _Nice job, Jaehyun._ He thinks.

"You were mysterious over the phone. Is everything okay?" Jungwoo takes a seat on the sofa, squinting his eyes at Jaehyun suspiciously because why the hell would Jaehyun want him to bring his medical bag?

Jaehyun laughs awkwardly and scratches the back of his neck, joining his friend on the couch. "Umm well, oh God, I don’t know how to tell you-"

"Mm you know I only like you as a friend, right?"

"Jungwoo!" Jaehyun gasps at Jungwoo's joke, making the other laugh.

Jungwoo points at him mockingly, cackling at how easily embarrassed Jaehyun gets. "Look at your ears! They are on fire!"

The faint noise of a door closing brings Jaehyun to reality. Yuta must have heard Jungwoo's voice.

"Listen, so..." Jaehyun begins to get jittery. He really should have talked to Yuta before doing something like this. But it's too late now, and he has to deal with it as best as he can. "I- I found a hybrid yesterday."

"Like a boyfriend? It's okay-"

"No. Jungwoo, he was- someone left him on the street, in the neighborhood where they don't allow hybrids. He was under the heavy rain all dirty, with his clothes torn and his wrists tied. He is a grown man, like us, probably a bit younger." Jaehyun tries to speak as fast as he can because he already imagines Yuta going into full panic in his room, wondering who Jungwoo is and what is he doing here. Maybe he thinks Jaehyun brought him for something bad.

Jungwoo frowns, not liking what he is hearing. Since Jungwoo was a young boy, he knew he wanted to be a doctor who specialized in hybrids so he could help and care for them in any way he could. There was no other job option for him. It was all he wanted to dedicate his life to.

Jungwoo always found hybrids fascinating; the way both human and cat genes blended perfectly together to create something as magnificent as hybrids, was beyond beautiful. Therefore, knowing some people are so fucked up in the head, so full of hate in their hearts to hurt hybrids, is something Jungwoo can’t stand. Something he will never accept and will always sadden him to no end.

"They had him locked up?"

"Apparently, yeah. I mean, he can’t even read." Jaehyun notices Jungwoo's eyes getting teary. "I just found him yesterday so I don't know exactly what happened to him or what I'm going to do with him. But I called you because he really needs your help. He has been shaking his head a lot, and he says it’s because his ears hurt. And he is- he is so skinny."

"Oh my God," Jungwoo says. He breathes out shakily, trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. Unfortunately, it's not the first time he experiences something like this. But it usually involves younger hybrids, and it definitely doesn't involve people who try to hide it just like Jaehyun is clearly trying to do. "Can he walk? Is there any other injury?"

"His feet have a few fresh cuts that are probably from walking around last night, and his knees are scraped, a cut on his shoulder that was getting infected, and nothing else, I believe. I cleaned all the wounds and put some ointment." Jaehyun explains, hoping he hasn't done anything bad. "Is- is that okay? Should I-"

"It's okay, yes. Keep an eye on it just in case though. We don’t know much to say it’s safe enough." Jungwoo looks at the slightly worried face of his friend. He would like to know why Jaehyun is hiding the hybrid instead of having taken him to the authorities in the first place, but Jaehyun is a big guy and Jungwoo trusts him. "Should we go see him now?"

Drumming his fingers nervously on his thighs, Jaehyun agrees. "Okay, yeah, let's go see him."

They stand up and make their way towards the guests room. Jaehyun knocks softly and informs he is going to enter.

As Jaehyun expected, Yuta had heard Jungwoo and thought the worst; Jaehyun was going to get rid of him. They would keep him in a cage; torture him in the most evil way. It is like Master had said people do to hybrids like him.

Yuta hides under the bed, trembling, with tears rolling down his cheeks. He can smell a lot of scents now, not only Jaehyun's sweet, fruity scent but Jungwoo's weird smell too; he is not a hybrid, but he surely smells like one, like many hybrids at the same time, actually. Yuta also detects a faint trace of blood clinging in the air, and that's what scares him the most. This guy really came to lock him up, tie him and cut him, take pieces of his body.

"Yuta," Jaehyun says. He lies down on his belly on the floor and looks at Yuta. His chest feels tight at seeing the other's eyes so big and painfully sad.

"I d-did something w-wrong?"

"No. Why would you think that?"

Yuta sniffles loudly. His eyes flicker from Jaehyun to Jungwoo constantly in fear of any sudden movement. The hybrid is ready to hurt someone if he needs to in order to escape, even Jaehyun, whom Yuta feels strangely attached to already. "H-he's gonna t-take me a-away."

Jaehyun closes his eyes so tight that when he opens them up, his vision goes a bit blurry. He wants to hit himself for being so stupid and not talk with Yuta when he knew something like this was bound to happen.

The thing is, Jaehyun wants to help Yuta so badly, that he forgot to consider all the options and went with what he considered it's the best for the other. He acted on impulse, just like last night when he took Yuta home with him without knowing a single thing about the hybrid.

Well, Jaehyun will think things twice, or thrice, from now on.

"No one is taking you away. Just hear me out, please." Jaehyun feels the urge of dragging Yuta out and hold him in a tight embrace. Needless to say, Jaehyun can't do that, but he really wants to.

"Remember this morning when I told you we would do something for your ears to stop hurting?"

Yuta nods in response and scoots farther away as the scent of blood gets stronger, making his nose twitch in disgust and fear. Despite him trusting Jaehyun for whatever reason, the astute part of him tells him he should be careful, attentive. One good action is not enough. Trusting Jaehyun may be dangerous.

"Jungwoo is my friend, he is a doctor, and he would like to help you." Yuta shakes his head and flinches back when Jungwoo takes a few steps toward the bed. "Woo, can you wait in the living room? He is getting scared." Jaehyun says, not taking his eyes of Yuta.

Before going back to the living room, and knowing the hybrid most likely can smell the scent of blood still clinging onto him, which would reasonably terrify him, Jungwoo says, "sure. I- I probably smell like blood. I helped a little hybrid today who was implicated in a car accident, so that’s the reason why."

Yuta follows Jungwoo's feet with his eyes and waits until the door is closed to look back at Jaehyun, who has his cheek pressed against his arm, looking at him with soft eyes.

"He is super nice."

"N-no," Yuta denies. He doesn't trust Jungwoo, he doesn't like the way he smells. It makes him remember all the times he and Hansol had been hurt, all the times he tasted his own blood.

The pain in his ears will be gone sooner or later. Yuta can handle it.

"I think you need him to take a look at your ears."

Yuta shakes his head vigorously. "I don't w-want him to touch m-me. He scares me."

Jaehyun understands. No matter how much he wants Yuta to heal, he understands the other is still not ready to meet new people and let them touch him. He will wait patiently.

"That's fine. I will tell him you don't want to see him."

Yuta breathes out in relief. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." Jaehyun stretches his arm and runs the pad of his fingers over Yuta's covered arm. He is so surprised that Yuta hasn't pulled away from his touch that he can't help the smile blooming on his lips. "Are you comfortable there?" Yuta mumbles a shy no in response. "You can come out. Jungwoo is not going to enter. Alright?”

Once Jaehyun is out of the room, Yuta crawls from under the bed and quickly follows him, trying to be as quiet as he can. Spying on people is not okay, and he knows that, but he needs to know their actual thoughts. Maybe it's all an act and they are planning something to drag him out of the room.

"He is not coming?" Jungwoo sounds disappointed.

Jaehyun huffs, running his fingers through his hair. "He doesn't want you to touch him."

There is a little pout on Jungwoo's lips. He was eager to meet Yuta. "Wait! What if we-"

"No."

"I didn't even get to say anything!"

"I don't care." Jaehyun's voice is firm, imposing. "If Yuta doesn't want you to touch him, then you are not going anywhere near him."

"Don't overprotect him, Jaehyun," Jungwoo warns.

"I'm not-" He takes a few seconds to think before continuing. "How am I overprotecting him?"

"By not letting me even try to talk to him."

"He is scared. Can’t you understand? Why would I force him to do something he doesn't want to?"

"I'm not going to hurt him."

"I know that! But _he_ doesn't." Jaehyun frowns at Jungwoo's insistence. And is he actually being overprotective? Jaehyun doesn't think so. He learned the lesson, and he will not force Yuta to do something or put him in uncomfortable situations before talking to him and know how he feels about it. It's too early for Yuta to open up and trust so easily. Jaehyun just wants to make him feel like he can count on him, that he is not going to pressure him into doing things he doesn't want to. Jaehyun is only considering Yuta's feelings. "And that's final. You are not getting near him until he says so."

Yuta doesn't know Jaehyun or how he speaks to his friends. He only witnessed the good side of him. But that tone he just heard slightly reminds him of Hansol fighting with Master as he stood up for him. And Yuta might be wrong, but at the moment, he is feeling protected.

Maybe being here with Jaehyun is not bad after all.

"Yuta needs time, okay? I still don't know his full story, but he thinks he has to eat on the floor and that everything he does is wrong. He asks permission for everything, even when he wants to go to the bathroom. He cried and apologized when I asked him why he was shaking his head so much. He thinks I'm going to hit him every time I simply lift my hand."

Jaehyun speaks so fast that Yuta has a hard time understanding everything he says.

"He had never seen his reflection before, you know?" At this point, Jaehyun is rambling, letting out everything he had stuck in his chest since yesterday. As he speaks, Jaehyun realizes he needed to talk about it with someone. "We look in the mirror every day, and he didn't even know what he looked like until last night. He thought I was going to hit him for eating a fucking apple. It’s insane, Jungwoo. Who- who treats people like that? Why?"

Jungwoo comprehends his friend's need of shielding the hybrid; Jaehyun found him, saved him, and treated him nicely, which leads to Yuta feeling protected only by Jaehyun, but being overprotective is not good. It will end up doing more damage in the end.

"He might have an infection, and if we don't do anything, it will get really bad. It's dangerous, and-" he stops mid-sentence when he hears a gasp. Jungwoo looks up and finds Yuta peeking at them from the hallway. "I think someone is spying on us." He whispers to Jaehyun, who was so consumed in his thoughts about how unfair things are he didn't notice Yuta's soft, little gasp.

Jaehyun immediately turns around and walks towards Yuta when he sees his eyes brimming with tears again, his tail hanging low in between his legs. He would do anything to stop him from crying and hurting.

"Don't wanna d-die," Yuta whispers with tears streaming down his face. He grabs Jaehyun's hoodie desperately in between his fingers, and without even thinking, Yuta leans forward until his face presses against Jaehyun's chest, wanting comfort.

The younger holds the back of Yuta's head with one hand while the other rubs soothing circles on his back. He furrows his eyebrows as he feels the bones sticking out prominently on Yuta's back, hating the fact that if he wanted he could count each of his ribs. "You are not going to die."

"Said I h-have an inf-fection." The hybrid’s voice sounds muffled against Jaehyun’s clothes. "Gonna d-die." He says between hiccups.

Carefully, Jaehyun breaks their embrace and cradles Yuta's face in his hands. "You are not going to die. But it will get worse, and it won't stop hurting until we know what it is and we can treat it."

"But I- I don't want h-him to touch m-me." Yuta sniffs.

Even if he wants to heal because the thought of dying makes him scared, Yuta absolutely doesn't want Jungwoo to touch him.

"I am not going to touch you." Jungwoo comments from his spot on the couch.

Jaehyun gives an encouraging look at Yuta and smiles. "Did you hear that?"

"People l-lie."

 _People lie._ That is all Yuta have been thinking about since yesterday. Hansol always said they would stay together until they were old. He _promised_ he would never leave him alone and that he would take care of him. Hansol said he would get him out of that house and show him the world. It was all lies. Master said people hate hybrids and treat them like animals, and so far, the only thing Jaehyun have done is treat him with kindness, he took care of his wounds and fed him, gave him warm clothes and a clean, pretty room where he slept wrapped in a comforter that has the nicest scent Yuta has ever smelled. _All lies._

"I promise you, Jungwoo will not touch you." It's unbelievable the way Jaehyun is gliding his thumbs with so much delicacy over Yuta's jawline and the other still hasn't reacted to it. Jaehyun supposes the hybrid is too distracted with his own worries to even notice.

Yuta pouts and looks down, pondering. If he doesn't let Jungwoo take a look at him, his ears are going to keep hurting and it will get worse. Jaehyun promised Jungwoo is not going to touch him, and as weird as it sounds, Yuta believes him. Maybe this is what Yuta needs to see if he can keep trusting in Jaehyun or if he is a liar just like the rest.

"M'kay," Yuta whispers looking up at Jaehyun, and he finds the other with a small smile on his lips, with those adorable dimples very present on his cheeks, and Yuta would like to trace them with his fingers. He would like to see Jaehyun smiling like that a lot more. It’s pretty.

"I'll be with you, don't be scared."

Jaehyun grabs Yuta’s hand and guides him to the living room, feeling his ears on fire as the hybrid hides shyly behind him. He can also see Jungwoo’s teasing eyes on him, but Jaehyun decides to ignore that and instead be happy over the fact Yuta trusts him a tiny bit. At least for the time being, that is. They are taking baby steps, and it’s fine.

Stepping in front of his friend, Jaehyun gives him a pointed look, silently telling him not to scare Yuta. He knows how effusive Jungwoo can be sometimes, especially when it comes to cute hybrids.

In his brief, just starting career, Jungwoo had to deal with some cases of abducted hybrids. He knows how fearful and wary they get after going through something like that. And even though this time this case seems to be a completely different story because the hybrid in question is approximately the same age as them, Jungwoo will have the same care as he always does with younger hybrids.

"Hi, I'm Jungwoo."

"I'm Yuta." He peeks at Jungwoo from behind Jaehyun’s shoulder, and slightly waves his fingers at him, shaking a little as he recovers himself and tries not to cry anymore.

"Nice to m-" Jungwoo gasps when he notices Yuta's white hair. He opens his eyes wide as he looks at Jaehyun. "His hair is white," Jungwoo says, fascinated.

Now that Yuta thinks about it, people talking about his hair is probably the only thing Master hasn't lied about.

"Yeah. It's pretty, right?" Jaehyun turns his head to look at Yuta, who is gnawing on his bottom lip, and winks at him, trying to make the situation lighter and not make a big deal about Yuta's incredibly rare, but beautiful white hair.

"Very." Jungwoo clears his throat and shakes his head. Although having a white-haired hybrid in front of him (seemingly the only one the entire world, until now) is making him curious and excited, Yuta's hair is not the main point now. If he continues staring at the hybrid because of it, the other might get more fearful. "So, Jaehyunnie told me you've been shaking your head a lot, and that your ears hurt. Is that correct?"

Yuta nods.

"Will you let me take a look?" Yuta nods again. This time, with more hesitation.

Jungwoo rummages through his medical bag and takes out an otoscope.

Yuta makes a noise of disapproval at the back of his throat when he sees the unknown object, and clutches Jaehyun's hand, showing him he is not content.

"Here, you can look at it." Jungwoo hands it to Jaehyun, who holds it close to Yuta's face so he can observe it. "It won't go inside your ear, and it won't touch you either."

"What it does?" Yuta whispers at Jaehyun.

"This will help Jungwoo to have a better look inside your ear, without touching you," Jaehyun clarifies and remarks one more time that Jungwoo is not going to touch him. "And then he will hopefully know what you have and how to fix it."

"Mhm that's fine, I g-guess." Yuta leans closer to Jaehyun and props his chin over his shoulder.

Handing Jungwoo back the otoscope and nodding at him, Jaehyun laces his fingers with Yuta's and gives him a reassuring squeeze.

As soon as Jungwoo steps closer to Yuta, the hybrid turns his face away from him and his ears lay flat against his head. He can’t help it; it’s an automatic reflex to protect himself. If there is something Yuta hates, it’s having his ears touched. They became too sensitive after all those times Master would yank at them forcefully.

"Can he get closer?" Jaehyun asks, rubbing the back of Yuta's hand with his thumb.

With every step Jungwoo takes, Yuta gets more nervous. And he lets Jaehyun know by tightening the grip on his hand. With some resistance from Yuta, Jaehyun manages to turn around to face him, and like before, he cups the hybrid's face. "He needs to be close so he can look properly, but he won't touch you."

Yuta relaxes a little at Jaehyun's voice and lets his ear go back to its original position as he convinces himself this is good. Jungwoo is here only to help. Jungwoo is Jaehyun's friend. Jaehyun wouldn't let Jungwoo hurt him.

"Maybe you can pull his ear back a little, if he is okay with it?"

"Trust me."

Yuta takes a deep breath and blinks a few times, washing away the tears that had gathered in his eyes, and nods. He clutches his tail between his hands and brushes his fingers through it, easing his nervousness and focusing on Jaehyun's face, his eyes, the feeling of his fingers as he pulls his ear back with so much delicacy while his other hand remains secured at the back of his neck, softly holding him in place.

"Are you good?" Jaehyun asks, now looking at Yuta.

"Mm." The hybrid hums, slightly losing his concentration as Jungwoo moves to his other side. Nonetheless, Jaehyun starts speaking to him again, making him focus again and letting Jungwoo do his job.

"Have you ever eaten pizza?"

"I- I d-don't think so. I don't remember."

Jaehyun overreacts a gasp and looks at Yuta with wide eyes. "I can't believe you! We need to fix that. Tonight we are going to have pizza for dinner."

"Will I like it?"

"You will love it. It's delicious."

"Okay, we are done!"

Yuta jumps back at that. He had completely forgotten about Jungwoo's presence and how scared he was for a minute, all while listening to Jaehyun’s voice.

"And?" Jaehyun asks, letting his arms fall to the side, eager to know which conclusion Jungwoo got out of the quick examination.

"Luckily, it's an external otitis. So don't worry because it's not too serious. I will prescribe him some eardrops and he should be fine." Jungwoo scribbles the prescription and then looks back at Jaehyun, smirking at the way Yuta moved to hide behind his friend once again. "And umm, I know Yuta is not ready yet, but I would like to make a full check-up at some point."

Jaehyun nods and takes the prescription from his friend’s hand. "Sure. Whenever he is ready."

"Ah Jaehyunnie, always so nice," Jungwoo says, pinching Jaehyun's cheek and causing him to jerk and swat his hand away. And if Jungwoo hears Yuta growl, he doesn't comment on it.

"Well then, everything is fine so I'll be going home. Goodbye Yuta! It was nice to meet you." Jungwoo waves at Yuta and squeals when Yuta waves back at him. "Keep me updated. And don’t forget to keep the wound on his shoulder clean. If you see something weird, you let me know, yeah?"

"Yes. Thank you for coming," Jaehyun says while leading him to the front door. "I really appreciate it."

"There is no need to thank me." Jungwoo rolls his eyes. "We are friends. Besides, he needed help. You know I'm more than glad I can be part of it."

"Not gonna die?" Yuta asks. He feels less anxious now that he is alone with Jaehyun.

Jungwoo wasn't too bad, the hybrid admits that. He kept his word of not touching him.

"You are not going to die, no." Jaehyun approaches Yuta and takes him by his hand, pulling him to sit on the sofa. "Look, I know you are still wary of me and every single person you meet, and that's fine. Even though I don't know your whole story yet, I understand that-"

"What's wary?" Yuta tilts his head to the side, ear twitching as he puts all his attention on Jaehyun teaching him a new word.

"Being wary of a person means that you might believe they are dangerous, so you don't trust them fully. That you doubt their intentions.”

The hybrid nods, understanding. "But I trust you, I guess."

"You do?"

"You said he wouldn't touch me and he didn't. You didn't lie. I liked that." Yuta fiddles with the cuffs of his sweatshirt as he says that, feeling shy all of a sudden. "And you are n-nice too. Super nice."

"Well thank you." Jaehyun sighs. "Yuta, I just- I want to help you get back what you've been taken away."

"Taken away?"

"That person who had you locked... he lied to you your entire life. Hybrids are not pets. They are treated with respect."

The memory of those guys kicking him out of the shop and calling him freak when he just wanted to get some help to find his way back home comes to Yuta’s mind. The way that woman ran away from him as if he was going to do something bad to her. It makes it hard for him to believe hybrids are treated nicely, much less respectfully.

“I asked for help.” Yuta frowns. It hurt to be treated like that. He never harmed anyone. It wasn’t his fault to be born hybrid. “When Master left me there, I wanted to… I wanted help to go back home.”

“Yuta.”

“No, I- I asked two guys a-and they said mean things to me, and one of t-them grabbed my arm really tight and pushed me to the s-street.” Yuta’s voice trembles and his eyes fill with tears.

“You need to understand-“

“Then I asked a woman, and she didn’t even look at me. She ran away from me.”

“Yuta, please listen to me,” Jaehyun says, hand framing the side of Yuta’s face, forcing the hybrid to look at him. “Hybrids don’t go near that neighborhood because the people who live there don’t like them, hybrids receive insults there, they get hit and shamed, and even worse things I can’t say out loud. But it’s not like that in other places. That guy, Master, or whatever his name is, knew about it. He knew about it and left you there.”

“He wouldn’t do that.”

The look on Yuta’s face is heartbreaking. Jaehyun doesn’t like to be the one telling him these things. He doesn’t want to be the one crushing his heart. But Yuta needs to face reality. Hopefully, with time, he’ll realize how awful that guy is, and that he is better off without him.

“I am sorry. But it’s the truth.”

“H-he is my family. Families don’t do that.”

“If he is your family, then why did he leave you on your own when you clearly didn’t want that, huh?” Jaehyun can see Yuta crumbling.

“I d-don’t know,” Yuta says before choking on a sob.

His cries grow louder and more desperate when Jaehyun wraps his arms around him. Yuta wasn’t expecting it, and in another moment, perhaps he would have pushed him away. But he doesn’t, because he needs someone hugging him, comforting him.

“Wh-why? Why?” The hybrid asks between hiccups.

Jaehyun just holds Yuta tighter, letting him cry on his shoulder. “Let me help you. Please. Let me show you.”

Yuta breaks the hug and dries his face with the sleeve of his shirt. “Show me what?”

“That you are not an animal, a pet as he made you think you are.”

For a second, Yuta’s brain goes back to the days he’d try to reveal against Master. The old man would get so furious that he would take his belt off and hit him on the legs, arms and back.

_‘What are you, Yuta?’ Master would ask after hitting him._

_‘A-animal.’_

_‘That’s right. And why is that?’ Another hit._

“M-my ears… my ears and tail b-belong to an-animals.” The words leave Yuta’s lips mechanically.

“You are a hybrid. Look at me.” Jaehyun grabs Yuta’s hands in his and squeezes them softly. “A hybrid, Yuta. Not an animal. You hear me?”

“I have a tail and-“ He unconsciously tries to repeat.

“I’ll show you a pet whenever you want. I will show you a cat and you’ll see the difference. You are a hybrid. Not an animal.”

Yuta pouts and looks down at his hands, finding it weird the way Jaehyun’s hands are so big in comparison with his own small, bony hands.

He doesn’t have anything to lose anymore.

“But I’m-“

“You can stay with me for as long as you want.”

Yuta shrugs sadly. If Jaehyun lets him stay with him, he’d feel bad if he doesn’t do anything at all. “I don’t know how to do stuff though. Don’t know how to cook, or wash clothes or- oh! I can clean the house.”

Jaehyun chuckles, thinking Yuta is way too cute. “It’s fine, you don’t have to. I don’t want you to do anything of that.”

“But I can.”

“If you want to, then I won’t stop you. But it’s totally not necessary, and I don’t want you to feel obligated to do it.”

Yuta nods.

"You speak really well when you are not scared." The slight change in Yuta's vocabulary and the fluency in his words when he is not cornered it’s amazing. He wonders if there is more to discover about the hybrid. He is sure there is. And Jaehyun can't wait to find out.

"Thank you. My brother taught me all the words I know. He taught me a lot of things."

“Yeah? Was he good to you?”

There is a tiny, almost imperceptible tug at the corner of Yuta’s lips. Almost looking like a smile.

“Mhmm. Always made sure I wasn’t cold and I eat a lot, and brushed my hair, and…” Yuta stops, suddenly remembering the day he saw Hansol for the last time and he stood there, frozen without knowing what to do. “He was the only one who loved me.”

Not wanting to cry in front of Jaehyun, Yuta asks, “can I go to the room? I’m tired.”

It’s reasonable for Yuta to get tired quickly, his body is still weak and hybrids tend to sleep even more when they are not feeling well. But Jaehyun knows it’s not just that; his ears had turned toward the side. Probably the memory of his brother made him feel sad, lonely.

“Of course,” Jaehyun says, earning a small thank you in return.

As Yuta stands up, Jaehyun remembers he had prepared some more clothes for Yuta and follows him through the hallway.

“Wait!”

Yuta jumps, still not used to Jaehyun’s loud voice, and turns around, plastering his back against the wall, hand immediately flying to his mouth.

“Um, give me a second.” Jaehyun holds his index finger up and enters his own room, returning right after with a good pile of clothes in his arms. “The shirts and sweatshirts are going to be huge on you, and I picked sweatpants with strings so you can tie them, and hopefully, they won’t slide off your body. It’s the best I can do.”

Yuta bites his nails gently and nods slowly. He didn’t think Jaehyun would give him more clothes, and it doesn’t matter if they are big on him when the fabric is soft and comfortable. Yuta appreciates the gesture.

“Th-thank you,” Yuta says, grabbing the clothes offered to him. “And I like the clothes being big, I’m comfortable in them and they keep me warm. You have really nice things. Thank you for sharing with me.”

Even if Yuta looked sad and conflicted a few minutes ago, Jaehyun can now see his big eyes shining brightly and his tail swinging contently behind him. It’s incredible how a couple of pants and shirts mean everything to someone who never had anything and for Jaehyun is just clothes, stuff he can buy in a blink of an eye.

Jaehyun will share everything he owns only to look at Yuta the way he is now, hoping he can brighten his days, every day.

“No problem.” Jaehyun’s voice is strained, and he clears his throat before saying, “you should go rest now.”

“Okay, yeah.” Yuta’s arms squeeze the clothes to his chest.

“I’ll open the door for you,” Jaehyun says, walking to the guest room and opening the door. “Try them on when you are not too tired and let me know if the pants are too big. I’ll dig into my closet to find some smaller one though.”

“Y-you don’t h-have to, but thank you.” The hybrid doesn’t want to cause a problem for Jaehyun. The clothes are more than enough.

Once Yuta is alone in the room, he places the pile of clothes on top of the vanity and smiles.

All the anguish he felt before now is a dull pain in his chest. Tears are falling down his cheeks, imagining how things would be better if Hansol was here because of course he hasn’t forgotten about Hansol. He never will. And that day will always remain as the most painful day of his shitty life. But having someone taking care of him gently, and giving him clothes, and making sure he doesn’t hurt anymore, makes Yuta’s heart flutter in his chest and his stomach all ticklish.

Yuta thinks maybe he has a chance of a better life with Jaehyun by his side helping him and teaching him more stuff.

Yuta thinks he is not going to be alone anymore.

He really hopes so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really loving Yuta kitty he is so cute <3
> 
> HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I HOPE YOU ARE DOING WELL. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES AND YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS


End file.
